Alice's Pokemon Journey
by Salamandyr
Summary: Alice wakes up one day to find herself much shorter and fluffier than usual, and things just go downhill from there. [Mystery Dungeon]
1. Good Morning

_"Hey!"_

The world was full of the happy pink fog that came between sleep and waking. Alice sighed, rolling over and reaching up to pull the covers tighter. She couldn't seem to reach them, which was strange, since she wouldn't kick them off in this kind of cold...

_"HEY! Wake up!"_

... which was also strange, now that she thought of it, since it had been quite a warm night...

_"Hello?! Can't you hear me?"_

... and it was very strange that it would be this cold in the middle of summer, maybe something had gone wrong with the air conditioning...

At that point, someone nudged her. She groaned, sitting up and trying to rub at her eyes; for some reason her arms didn't want to work right.  
"Couldn't I have slept a bit longer? It's _Saturday._" Alice whined, looking up pleadingly.

There was the biggest Chikorita she'd ever seen, staring down at her with an expression of mild annoyance. She did the only sensible thing under these circumstances and screamed, scrambling wildly backwards. She was awake, right? These things weren't supposed to happen!  
"Um... was it something I said?" The voice was female, pleasant, and rather bewildered. Alice looked around wildly, trying to work out who was speaking. There were some unusually tall trees, a few clumps of grass higher than the rest, but no real hiding places.

The Chikorita stepped towards her, and she scrambled backward again, pressing up against a tree. It wasn't that there was anything menacing about it, exactly, but it was bigger than she was.  
"Do you have a problem with Grass types or something?" The Chikorita said, looking slightly hurt. Alice didn't scream again, but she yelped, tail lashing nervously.  
"Stay away!" She squeaked urgently, and then her brain finally caught up with her body. She looked down.  
There was a thick ruff of creamy fur, coming out from just under her chin, and over the edge of it she could just see the tips of two brown paws. She craned her neck around, and yes, if she squinted and sort of looked out of the corner of her eye she could see a large, fluffy tail.

"... Is something wrong?" The Chikorita sounded puzzled now, and she realized that if she listened closely, the words weren't really there. What she was actually hearing was "Ki chikorita chiko?", but somehow the meaning was there.  
"WHY AM I AN EEVEE?!" Alice squeaked. If she thought about it, she could hear the Eevee-babbling behind the words even as she said them.  
The Chikorita blinked. "Um... weren't you born that way? ... Oh! Were you supposed to evolve? Is that what's wrong? Because something is weird, nobody can evolve right now. Sorry." She shrugged.  
"I'M NOT A POKEMON!" It came out much louder and shriller than Alice had intended.  
The Chikorita stared at her just long enough for her to start twitching a little.  
"... Really." She said it in the slow, careful tone of someone speaking to a person who has just informed them in a low, urgent voice that the little blue man wanted them to set things on fire.  
"I mean... um..." Alice fumbled for words, looking down awkwardly. Maybe that hadn't been the best way to phrase it, yes, but still...  
"How long have you not been a Pokemon, then...?"  
"I... uh, I mean, I wasn't one _yesterday_, but- er..."  
A Butterfree whirred into the clearing, colliding with Alice, wings beating wildly as it tried to right itself. Alice stumbled backwards, and it flew up about a foot into the air, looking around urgently. It seemed to notice them for the first time.

"Please!" The voice was female again, older, and deeply worried. "You two look strong... help me!" It was more of a statement than a question. The Chikorita blinked again.  
"What's wrong, Ma'am?"  
"My baby Caterpie! He's trapped, there was an earthquake and a fissure opened up in the ground where he was playing, and I can't get down to him, and all the Pokemon out here are acting strange now, please help me-" She said, her voice growing frantic. She fluttered anxiously, looping in midair.  
"Um-" Alice cut in, feeling a bit behind. The Chikorita nodded slowly on the opposite side of the clearing.  
"It's okay, Ma'am! Don't worry, we'll get him back okay." She said. She gave Alice a look that said: I have no idea who you are, but you are going to go along with this, right? _Good._  
It had been maybe ten minutes since Alice first met her, but she was noticing that the Chikorita had some very expressive looks. And a personality that could only be described politely as commanding.

"Come on, then..." There was an awkward pause as the Chikorita seemed to realize she didn't know Alice's name. "... I mean, let's go already."  
Alice shrugged uncertainly and followed the Chikorita as she walked away in the direction the Butterfree had come from. She was fairly certain this wasn't the best course of action, but what was? It wasn't like there was a manual for this situation. Well... probably not, even if "What to Do If You're a Complete Idiot and You've Been Turned Into a Pokemon" _did_ have a certain ring to it...

At this point, Alice walked into a tree and decided to focus on where she was going.

* * *

_I hate writing author's notes, so expect them to be scarce. Anyway... it's fairly obvious, but this is a Mystery Dungeon novelization. More or less. I don't know how closely I'll be following the game, but the general plotline at least should be the same._

_ ... Title is subject to change, since I'm lousy with names._


	2. The First Rescue

Alice had been expecting a deep hole in the ground, something like a canyon, perhaps. Maybe just a deep ditch.

Instead there was a jagged opening in the middle of the small meadow, a hole just big enough to stick her arm into. There were no other signs that there had been an earthquake recently. 

_Well, no, I think I could probably fit in there now. I think I'm small enough, if I don't count all this fluff._ She stared thoughtfully at the opening. _I could fit, I think, but it's so dark..._

Behind her, the Chikorita made a small, impatient noise. "Hey! Are you going to stand there all day?"

_And there could be anything in there. Like spiders. It looks like ideal spider territory to me._

"... Are you in some sort of trance, or are you just stalling?"

_... big, hairy spiders... oh dear, what a shame, I think I feel my leg cramping up, I'll just have to go find somewhere nice and bright to wait for it to relax-_

The Chikorita tackled her from behind, shoving her into the hole and rudely interrupting her train of thought. Alice screamed, tumbling head over heels and wondering hysterically if she even had heels. She seemed to be rolling down a slope of some sort, and really, it wasn't too bad if she just shut her eyes and tucked her tail in front of her face. It would've been nearly enjoyable if it weren't for the dirt in her mouth or the occasional jagged stones she bumped into.  
She collided with something solid after another moment and sprawled out, panting. She managed to stand up a bit shakily just as the Chikorita slid in, stopping neatly just before the tree that Alice had run into.  
She glared at her, trying to put her hands on her hips for a moment before remembering that her arms didn't work like that anymore and her hips had moved.

"You know," Alice growled sourly. "If you wanted to tell me anything, there's this thing called talking. It's when you com-mun-i-cate us-ing your voi-ice, instead of SHOVING PEOPLE TO THEIR UNCERTAIN DEATHS!"

The Chikorita met her glare with a cool stare. "Well? Are you hurt?" She tossed her head, flopping her leaf over one eye. Alice felt a flare of annoyance rising, the same as always, muttering viciously that there was no reason to argue, all she had to do was punch. The problem was that now she had a nice set of sharp teeth and the urge to rip out someone's throat.  
She realized with some embarrassment that her fur was standing on end and the Chikorita was watching her with interest and a bit of worry. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

"I'm fine, I think. Forget it." Alice managed to keep her voice steady, if a bit strained. The Chikorita shrugged, an interesting maneuver from someone who resembled a cross between a tiny, quadrupedal dinosaur and a houseplant. She looked around, and without thinking about it so did Alice.  
She was startled to find that they were in what looked like another forest, apart from the stunted trees and the rocky ceiling.  
"How-?" She blurted. "We're underground! How is there enough light?"  
The Chikorita rolled her eyes. "Look up again."

She did, looking more carefully this time. Now she noticed small holes dotting the ceiling of the cave at fairly regular intervals. Sunbeams filtered down through a tangle of trailing vines, illuminating strange clumpy structures.  
"But this isn't the right sort of cave for stalactites, is it?" Alice said, thinking aloud.  
The Chikorita shook her head.  
"No, it's not. Those are fungus. They trap the light that reaches the caves and release it at night. I used to play here sometimes when I was little."  
Alice frowned. "But this still shouldn't work! I mean, I could understand it if there were a few patches of shrubs or something under the holes, but this is a little forest! It doesn't make any sense. How do they get enough light? What about water?"  
The Chikorita shrugged again, something that Alice was beginning to find vaguely annoying. She didn't seem to have any more to say on the matter, as she set off down a faint, overgrown path through the trees. Alice followed her, grumbling inwardly.

They walked on in silence for a little while, until she couldn't stand it any longer and the shadows seemed to be more menacing.  
"Sooo..." The Chikorita made a little tch-ing noise of annoyance ahead of her as Alice spoke. "What's your name? If you're leading me into unknown peril, I'd at least like to know who to curse with my dying breath."  
The Chikorita snorted. "I'm Juniper. I apologize for not introducing myself... I was just slightly distracted, since you woke up raving about how you've got the heart of a human or something like that."  
"I'm Alice," She snapped. "And I wasn't raving. I'm human. Once I find out who did this to me, they're going to get more than a piece of my mind. You wouldn't happen to have anything to do with it, would you?"  
She was certain she could almost hear Juniper rolling her eyes. "Yeah, sure. I don't get it. Everyone knows humans are just a myth, but you people still insist that you're a reincarnated human or something like that."  
Alice stepped into what was undoubtedly a rare and valuable and unpleasantly squashy variety of mushroom. She hopped ahead, waving her leg in an attempt to dislodge the splatted mushroom bits, making small noises of disgust. Juniper snorted again, more amused than disgusted now.  
"I am human! I don't know what you're talking about, either. What... like people saying that they've got the spirit of a Moltres or something like that?"  
Juniper gave her another strange stare. "... Well. I can tell that you've managed to delude yourself, and I'll tell you now, you're the only person you're going to fool."  
Alice bristled, baring her teeth.  
"I'm not lying! Stop looking so smug and listen to me-"

For the second time that day since she had woken up, Alice was bowled over as someone barreled into her. This time, there was no whirring of wings, and the stranger didn't back off. As she staggered to her feet, a Rattata lunged at her and sank its teeth into her left hindleg. She yelped, kicking wildly at her attacker, only vaguely aware of Juniper shouting something.  
The Rattata tackled her, knocking her off her feet again, and went straight for her throat. It sank its teeth deep into her thick ruff of fur, growling in frustration as its teeth met without hitting flesh. Alice gripped its shoulders with her front legs, kicking with both back feet. Her eyes were shut to slits, and she had instinctively flattened her ears against her skull.  
She knew that she would have the advantage if she could just get it off her; it was small and scraggly. It was strangely fierce for a Rattata, she noticed with the small part of her brain that wasn't wholly absorbed by the fight. They were intensely protective of their nests, but they couldn't have stumbled onto one by accident. This area was much too open.  
The Rattata snapped wildly at her face, but she could shove it away just far enough to save herself. Alice growled deeply in her throat and rolled, slamming against it with her body. She heard a satisfying grunt as she disentangled her limbs, somersaulting away.  
It lunged at her again, but she could move freely now, and she realized with delight that she was fast. It tried to bite her throat again, but this time she dodged sideways and leapt at it as it tried to decide what to do. Her teeth sank into-  
Nothing, and they snapped together painfully, as the Rattata was lifted into the air by a pair of thin, ropy vines.

"STOP IT!" Juniper shouted. She wasn't sure if it was at herself or the Rattata. The Chikorita was indignant, brow furrowed in a scowl.  
"What is wrong with you?! We weren't doing anything to you! You had no right to attack us!"  
The rat-like Pokemon flailed desperately against the air, struggling to free itself from the vines that had twined securely around it. It bared its teeth at them, speaking for the first time in a shrill voice.  
"INTRUDERS! NEST-ROBBERS! DIE!" It thrashed wildly, snarling in incoherent rage.

Juniper stared silently. After a moment she tossed her head and then, abruptly, slammed the Rattata against a treetrunk. It went limp, and with care she lowered it delicately to the ground, vines retracting back into the buds on either side of her neck.  
Alice panted, staring at it. It seemed that Juniper had only knocked it out - she could see it breathing if she watched closely. The adrenaline was draining from her system now, and she was aware of a throbbing ache from the bite on her leg and small sharp pains from the scratches on her shoulders and sides.  
"That's not right..." Juniper said quietly. "He shouldn't have attacked you. It was unprovoked, and they don't recognize territory borders or anything like that. He sounded crazy."  
Alice sat down, shaking a little. Her nerves were still humming, and right now every shadow seemed to hold a potential attacker.  
There were a lot of shadows.

Juniper looked over at her, breaking out of her thoughtful silence. "Oh, damn. Are you alright?" She walked over, examining the bite with disapproval.  
"It doesn't look very deep, I think you got lucky..."  
Alice grunted. "Great. I don't feel lucky."  
Juniper paced back and forth on the path, frowning. "Something's not right here. I've never had anyone just attack me like that, and I've been feeling on edge since we got here..."  
"I think I might be able to walk, thanks so much for your concern." Alice said sourly.  
"Come on. I think we should find that kid and get out of here as soon as we can." She started off along the path again.  
"I'll just limp along as fast as I can, then. Don't worry about me, I'd hate for you to fret."

They walked in silence again, longer this time. Alice was limping, but she gritted her teeth and kept on at a decent pace, hoping there would be some sort of potion in the future for her. Juniper jumped at the sound of twigs breaking underfoot, watching the trees nervously.  
They went down a cramped tunnel, small enough that Alice had to crawl with her ears back at some points. Her night vision was better now, she noticed, but it wasn't good enough for her to see what the things making the rustling sounds from the tunnel roof were. She couldn't decide if this was a positive thing or not.  
The tunnel ended in a set of crude, shallow steps. It was darker in this cavern, with only a sparse scattering of straggly trees and depressingly scrawny undergrowth. Glancing up at the cave roof, Alice could see weak points of light that must have been more holes. The sunlight seemed further off. There were more clumps of fungus here, too, glowing dimly in the gloom. They weren't much help; all they seemed to do was turn black shadows into gritty gray-green.

Juniper made a little noise of disgust.  
"I hate it this deep down, it feels like I'll never be warm again..." She shook herself. "Well, at least it should be easy to look for that kid without as many plants."  
"Should we call for him, or what?" Alice said. She was uneasy at the thought of bringing attention to themselves, thinking of a dozen grim-eyed Rattata descending on them. Her leg throbbed with dull, painful heat. She was starting to wonder if Rattata carried diseases.  
"I can't think of a better way to do it..." Juniper sighed. "Well, I don't really think anyone will attack us again, but we'll probably be okay-"  
"Easy for you to say, you're not the one who nearly had their leg amputated-"  
"- since we'll be alert," She finished, pointedly ignoring the interruption. "The only reason that Rattata managed to get any hits in was because I was startled."  
"_You_ were startled?!" Alice was incredulous.  
"If I hadn't been momentarily stunned, it would've been over in a minute."  
"... You are _so_ full of it."  
Juniper shrugged, trotting away down a gap in the vegetation that couldn't really be called a pathway. Alice growled without realizing it, limping after her as quickly as she could.  
"And stop running off without even asking me if I think we should go that way!" She called ahead.  
"CATERPIIIE!" Juniper shouted, pretending not to hear.  
Alice grumbled. "Yeah, yeah, Caaaterpie... heeere, Caterpie, Caterpie, Caterpiiie..."  
She was suddenly and horribly aware of a noise from overhead, something like beating wings. She opened her mouth to call a warning, but the feathered shape dove out of the air at Juniper before she could speak.

It was only a Pidgey, Alice noted with relief. For all of five seconds; it started battering at Juniper with its wings, shrieking hoarsely.  
"EGG-EATERS! INTRUDERS! THIEVES! OUT, OUT, DIE!"  
"I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT YOU! STOP IT!" Juniper hunched low against the ground, eyes shut, teeth gritted. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"  
Alice circled cautiously, waiting for an opening. Juniper's attempt to negotiate didn't seem to have any effect, as the Pidgey only continued its assault.  
"FINE!" Juniper growled. The buds on either side of her neck unfurled, the long, thin vines whipping out to wrap around the Pidgey. It snapped out in midair, snipping the end cleanly off of the right vine.  
Juniper screamed in pain, both vines snapping back in. She crouched lower, her leaf flat against her head, growling in fury and pain. The Pidgey swooped away, shrieking insults again.  
It dove in to peck at Juniper's back, but Alice was slightly faster - to her surprise - and tackled it out of the air. As they both somersaulted along the ground, she bit at its chest. Her teeth missed flesh, and she jerked her head sideways sharply, yanking out a mouthful of feathers.  
The Pidgey shrieked again, beating its way into the air. It fled, still screaming at the top of its voice.

Juniper swallowed hard, standing up. There was a thin green liquid oozing slowly from the bud with the injured vine in it, and she seemed badly shaken.  
"C-come on... let's find that Caterpie and get out of here. ... I hope he's okay."  
"Fwwfpt, fllfle-" Alice spat out feathers, noticing vaguely that there was blood in the shaft of each one. "Alright. Normally when people attack me before breakfast, they at least have the decency to not bite off any of my appendages..."  
Juniper shuddered. "People don't normally attack me at all. This is so wrong... I'll be okay once I'm up in the light again."  
They set off at random through the trees, walking much closer together now. Alice's fur wouldn't settle, and they both jumped at small noises.

"MAMAAAA!"

If she'd jumped at small noises before, Alice all but leapt out of her skin at the tiny, mournful wail.  
"Did it come from that way-?" Juniper pointed with her leaf. Alice nodded, composing herself.  
"Yeah. I think it did, at least-"

"MAMAAAAA! MAMA!"

It was a very young voice, high-pitched and rather hoarse. They exchanged a glance.  
"I think we've found that kid, at least."  
"Yeah... now let's stop talking about it and get him out of here." Alice rolled her eyes. She was starting to reach the point where she was so terrified that somehow, everything was hilarious. She hoped they'd get out before someone attacked them again; she'd probably collapse in a fit of ill-timed giggles.

They crept forward as quietly as they could towards the shrill calls. There, in the underbrush, curled up in a small shivering ball, was a Caterpie. Alice stepped forward hesitantly - she had never been good with kids, and there was still the chance of another attack. Juniper glanced at her and strode over to the little Caterpie, rolling her eyes.

"Shhh." The tiny caterpillar Pokemon looked up, eyes wide, mouth open to scream again. Juniper spoke quickly. "It's okay, we're here to take you to your mom!" She whispered urgently, eyes darting from shadow to shadow.  
"R-really?" He sniffled. She nodded.  
"You need to be very quiet, okay? If you get tired, one of us can carry you. It's dangerous, so you need to be brave. Okay?"  
The little Caterpie sniffled again. Alice wondered in a vague way how he could sniff, since she couldn't see his nose at all.  
"Could you two hurry up?" She mumbled. She was starting to feel very tense...  
Caterpie looked up, his eyes as round as dinner plates now. Juniper made a soothing little shushing noise, glowering at Alice over the top of his head. "It's okay, she's a friend too!"  
Juniper ushered the Caterpie over to Alice and they began the long walk back out.

* * *

When they emerged, Alice collapsed, panting underneath a tall, healthy and reassuringly normal tree. The air out here seemed so much fresher - there was a gentle breeze wafting its way through the little woods, carrying scents that she couldn't quite identify on it.

She could hear Juniper chattering away with the elated Butterfree nearby, interrupted occasionally by excited squeals from the Caterpie. Somehow, she couldn't bring herself to move - it was just so peaceful, and clean, and there didn't seem to be any prospect of someone leaping out of the shadows and trying to rip out her throat...  
Without really thinking about it, she curled up under the tree, wrapping her tail around herself. It was surprisingly comfortable here, there was sweet-smelling, cushiony grass, still slightly warm from the sunlight.  
She sighed a little through her nose and shut her eyes, drifting...

There was warm green fog surrounding her, buoying her up. It seemed able to support her, but when she waved an arm experimentally it offered no resistance.

Arms? She was human again! Alice's face split into a huge grin. She wasn't sure where she was, but obviously she'd had some very strange dreams last night. It didn't matter now, anyway - she'd had strange dreams before.  
She stepped forward - again, there was no resistance from the fog, and she felt that she'd moved, but she couldn't see any difference. There seemed to be nothing but endless green, for as far as she could see - which was, admittedly, not very far. Holding up one arm again - and she couldn't quash a little bit of glee at the sight of her own arm, no matter how ridiculous it was - if she simply held it out straight forward, her hand was almost lost in the fog. A tendril of unease brushed against the back of her mind. This wasn't normal by any definition. Was there a Psychic Pokemon nearby, distorting her perception of reality? What if she were to step forward - and over a cliff?  
She'd had an unfortunate experience once with an injured Alakazam. She'd ended up with a broken leg, but at least she'd gotten it to a Pokemon center-

A pair of sad red eyes were watching her out of the fog. She could see only the vaguest outline of a head, but the eyes were clear as crystal. There was a strange itching sensation at the back of her head, and if she strained she could almost hear something - like someone whispering behind loud static.

"Hello?" She whispered, stepping forward in spite of herself.  
The eyes shut, and she felt a soft wind rushing against her, pushing her back. "Wait! Who are you?!"  
"..."  
"..."  
"..."  
"Alice..."

"Hello?" She whispered again, suddenly feeling very alone.

"Alice!"

She groaned, rolling over and covering her nose with her paws. Juniper's petulant voice was already too familiar for her tastes. She nudged her with one foot, making an impatient little noise.

"Are you some kind of narcoleptic? I swear, I leave for a minute and you've conked out!" She swished her head-leaf impatiently.

"I haven't been sleeping very well for some reason lately. Maybe it's something to do with randomly turning into a Pokemon in my sleep." Alice growled. The warm, peaceful feeling she'd had in her dream was already fading, and it had been very nice to have the right body again, even if it was only a dream.

Juniper stared at her for a moment and then just sighed. "Okay, you're obviously completely out of your mind. I'll walk you home. I'm not sure if it's for your own safety or the safety of others... Probably your own, you don't seem like you'd really be able to hurt anyone. Come on, where do you live?"

Alice snorted, irritated. "Oh, right, like I'd tell you after that. Verbal abuse really makes me want to tell you where I sleep-"

Juniper interrupted. "Oh, I know that already, you sleep wherever you sit down. No need to tell me that."

"Ha. Ha." She glowered. "Anyway, like I was going to say before you cut in, I don't have anywhere to live. I already told you, I wasn't here yesterday." Alice paused. "Um... I don't think I was here yesterday, at least. If I was, it was a different here."

Juniper gave her another long stare. "... So you really have nowhere to live?"

"No, I have a lovely little mansion. _YES_ I really have nowhere to live! Weren't you listening?! I don't even know where you people live! What do I do, live in a tree?"

The Chikorita sighed. "Okay, if you really have no place to stay... I've got somewhere you can go, I'll take you back into town. Come on, it's getting so late it'll be early soon."  
She stepped out onto the path. Alice stood up, stretched, and followed her, grumbling a bit. Juniper didn't actually seem hostile as such, just... extremely annoying. And cranky. But she hadn't tried to bite her head off yet, except maybe verbally...  
Anything sounded better than a night outside right now. It had seemed comfortable earlier, but the thought made her distinctly uneasy now.


	3. Home Is Where You Can Pass Out

Alice stared, struggling to keep her mouth from dropping open. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting - maybe an apartment or something, maybe just a hole in the ground with a roof. She hadn't been expecting a rounded little house. Not even one with a huge sprout growing out of the roof. There was a mailbox, a slightly overgrown border of hedges, a row of stepping stones leading to the doorway, and for some reason a flagpole behind the house. Except for the out-of-place flagpole, it looked like something straight out of a picture book she remembered from when she was younger.

Juniper was staring at her again, but she seemed... thoughtful, for some reason. Alice turned to look at her.

"A whole house?" She said weakly. "Is it cursed or something? Will it kill me in my sleep? Why would _you_ give me a whole house?"

Juniper shrugged, glancing at the little house with that same strangely thoughtful expression. "Well... Technically it belongs to me, but I've never used it since I still live with my parents. It's only one room and it's rather musty inside, but it's better than sleeping outside and... I want- I mean, I feel sorry for you, alright? That's all."

Alice raised one eyebrow, or at least tried to. "You feel sorry for me? Why the sudden change of heart? I got the impression that you wanted to toss me over a cliff an hour ago."

She looked away again. "I- ... You were wrong. Get used to it." She sighed. "You're obviously completely out of your mind, so I don't think you'd be able to fend for yourself. For all I know you'd end up offending someone and they'd bite your head off-"

"What, do you mean figuratively, or-" Alice interrupted uneasily, thinking back to the frenzied Pokemon.

"- or something, and it'd be my fault." Juniper continued, ignoring her. "And I'd have to deal with that on my conscience, so it's really just better if you live here for a while. Don't get too used to it, it's not like it's permanent, alright?" She tossed her head, leaf flicking to one side.

Alice shrugged. If the house was haunted or rotting or something, she could always run away. If it wasn't... then she had somewhere to stay for the night. It couldn't be- no, she interrupted herself mentally with haste, it _probably_ wasn't that bad.  
Juniper pawed the ground, staring at the trees now. She seemed preoccupied with something, and she had been strangely quiet on the walk into town. Well, strangely quiet as far as Alice knew, at least - for all she knew she'd been acting completely out of character earlier that day with all the screaming and kicking her into strange holes.  
Somehow she got the impression that this wasn't the case.

"So..." Alice prompted. Juniper looked up, shaking herself.

"Hm? ... Oh. I'm going now. Feel free to sleep on the lawn if you'd rather not go inside, since I don't really care either way. It is a bit chilly out tonight..." She shrugged. "Goodbye, then." She started to walk away, at which point Alice's stomach grumbled loudly. "... Oh," She added. "And there's an apple tree behind the house. It sounds like you might need it." Without another word, she walked away through the gates into the town.

Alice glanced at the house again. Oh well... Not like it was going to get any better if she waited before going in. She sighed, walking forward across the lawn and through the threshold.

It was gloomy inside, smelling strongly of straw. There was just one room, with a dirt floor and - she could see as her eyes adjusted, quicker than she was used to - a small straw bed in the corner. And, as her eyes adjusted further, she spotted a large tree trunk - meant for a table, maybe? - some large, empty flower planters, and grimy windows with a small amount of moonlight filtering through the dust and cobwebs. She wondered what had made the cobwebs. Were there normal spiders here, or had a family of arachnid Pokemon moved in at some point? Maybe it was best not to think of it...

She walked over and sniffed the straw. It smelled... musty, but not as old as she'd expected, and she couldn't smell anything living in it. If this place had been abandoned for as long as Juniper had claimed, why was the straw fresh? She flopped down on it, half expecting an indignant squeak from below, but she was met with nothing but silence.

She'd been so tired today, and she wasn't sure why. It wasn't as if she normally brimmed over with energy, but she hardly fell asleep when she sat down. Of course, most of the time nobody tried to murder her on a normal day. And there had been that strange dream - again, it wasn't as though she never had strange dreams, but it was the wrong sort of dream. It had been focused, and peaceful. Her "normal" dreams included at least three chase scenes and nonsensical conversations with peopl she'd never met before or after dreaming of them. This one had been, well... Boring, in comparison. Nice, but dull, really.  
The red eyes had seemed so sad... They were the most beautiful eyes she could remember seeing since the last time she'd seen-_ in a long time_, she cut herself off again. If she was stuck here - wherever here was - as an Eevee, there were some things it was probably better not to think of.  
She shut her eyes, yawning. Her leg ached, but surely it could wait until morning for medical attention, it didn't seem _too_ bad... She was a bit hungry, but if there were apples out back it probably wasn't a huge problem. Would she need to find a job here? She hadn't even seen the town, except as a vague collection of roundish building-shaped shadows across the fence. Maybe there would be somewhere that needed... someone to wash dishes. Did they have dishes? Well, she could always try begging, it turned out alright if she was in a tight enough spot, provided she was amusing enough...  
Alice yawned again, rolled over, and dozed off. She dreamed again, but this time it was a relatively normal dream about waitressing for a restauraunt run by people wearing incredibly elaborate Pokemon masks, who each tried to kill her twice.

* * *

Juniper walked home slowly, stopping often to look up at the sky. It had been a very interesting day... 

The Eevee girl was obviously crazy, but she'd fought better than she could have expected. One of her vine whips twinged, reminding her that she'd need to spend a few hours in the sun tomorrow.  
She'd been thinking about it for nearly a month now, and she'd managed to clear most of the old junk out of the little base. Juniper had been hoping to get to the windows today, maybe plant some flowers; the empty planters always made her feel lonely, and a little bit hungry.  
The Pokemon in the caves had been more than unsettling. The Eevee girl might be crazy, but they had seemed insane, almost mindless. It had been like fighting zombies - something had been missing in their eyes. She was trying not to think of what might have happened with that Pidgey if the Eevee girl hadn't been there. She had been there, so it didn't matter, but what if she _hadn't_- It was really best not to dwell on it for now. Still... Maybe she should go into town and buy a Reviver Seed or two tomorrow. It would be a good start to her project.


End file.
